The Portland daily press., 1887-06-20
BoWDoiN COLLEGE.
Opening of the Exercises of Com
mencement Week.

BRUNSWICK, June 19.-The commence
ment exercises at Bowdoin College began
this afternoon with the baccalaureate SER
mon. Soon after o'clock the Seniors were
marshalled into the church. Prof. III. l..
Chapman read an appropriate selection from
the Scriptures which was followed by sing
ing and prayer. The baccalaureate sermon,
a strong and logical plea for the acceptance
of Christianity, was then delivered by Pres
ident Hyde. Following is an abstract:
Christ in you the hope of glory.-Colossi-
ans /, 27.
Glory is favorable place in the thought of
others. The Greek word dora in our text
comes from a verb, meaning to think. or
passiyely, to be thought Of The Latin glo-
ria likewise goes back to a verb, meaning to
call, or passively, to hear oneself called.
Here we get clue to the conflicting theories
that have been held respecting the worth
and dignity of the love of glory as motive
Ii the thought in which we seek to gain
favorable. place is false, if its judgment is
superficial, if its standards are low, then the
glory which comes from having favorable
place in such thought is to be despised
On the other hand, if we can find the true
thought about us anywhere, then the glory
which. comes from occupying favorable
place in that true thought is thing above
all others to be coveted and cherished. 1t is
because we know that somewhere, seen or
unseen. without or within, human or divine,
there is a thought whose view of us is true
and just, that the thirst for approval in that
thought, the hope of glory can never die out
OF any one of us.
Christ in you is the secret of such glory.
Does that sound vague and mystical? Let
us try to make this concrete and practical
lou are looking forward to a variety of
professions; law, medicine, the ministry,
journalism, teaching, business. Let us see
what sort of professional men Christ within
you will cause you to be.
just half century ago there graduated
here man, who, without being genius in
scholarship, yet had, to use his own words,
faith, faith in God, and faith in man, as the
secret OF: true enthusiasm" His faith in
ness to give to every poor, unfortunate client
the fullest benefit of his time, strength and
talents. He served the poor no less faithful
ly, because they had nothing to pay. His
faith in God was amply shown in the great
crisis of the civil war. Abraham Lincoln, on
hearing of feryant prayer which he had Of
Tered before sending a messenger to Wash
ington, remarked, "When we have the Gov
ernor of Massachusetts to send us troops in
the way he has, and when we have him to
utter such prayers for us | have no doubt
that we shall succeed" You know to whomI
refer. May you who are to be lawyers seek
glory along the lines of Christian faith in
God, and Christlike love for man where
your brother Alumnus of fifty years ago. the
war Governor of Massachusetts, found a
place OF honor in Gods approval and a ma
tion's gratitude.
Chlist in the physician will make him ac-
cept the sacred interests of human health
and life as trust. The quack, the half ed
ucated physician, lis liar, thief, and muir
derer all in one. Christ in you who are to
be physicians will keep you from the base
and murderous pretence of knowing what
you do not know; and will make you do
thoroughly, carefully, prayerfully whatever
you undertake.
The Christ-like minister, who watches
from early years each growing boy and girl;
who guides Alright their forming habits, and
teaches parents to make home more heav-
emily for the children's sake; who warns the
young from fatal errors and impresses ideals
Of beauty. truth and nobleness; who sus-
tains the burdened man of business in trial
and temptation, and keeps him true to JUS
tice and mercy; who rebukes the worldly
labors with the dissolute; rescues the fallen;
gives assurance to the dying that to those
change must be gain-this minister in
whom Christ dwells, lives a truly glorious
life.
Christ in the Teacher makes him a faithful
witness of the unrecognized true; in the
Editor a champion OF the unpopular right;
IN the business man, servant of the often
improbable just.
For the self-seeking avaricious time-server
of these professions the nearest approach to
glory that even the smartest can gain in the
vain and .empty wonder of the vulgar and
the base. The absence Of Christ is the i'm
possibility of glory. Christ is the embodi-
ment of everything praiseworthy in conduct
and character. And since glory consists in
being thought well of by worthy judges, your
only hope of glory lies in acting out, in your
chosen profession, the principles and spirit,
the conduct and character of Christ.
The prayer by the President at the close
of the sermon was an eloquent benediction
upon the graduating class.
Tomorrow evening will occult the junior
prize exhibition